The round 5 of the Blancpain Sprint Series took place in Portugal this weekend, on the Track of Portimao.

Having a better knowledge of the track, Stephane Ortelli made the 2nd part of the qualifying session and then the Q3 with only the Top 8.

That is from the 5th position that the #3 Audi from WRT took the start of the Qualifying Race. Following the guys in front Steph was showing a good pace. After a good pit stop Stef didn’t start the best way and stalled in the pit lane. The crew lost some seconds, but unfortunately few laps further the car had to stop and retire due to a gearbox failure. This incident is just some bad luck, the bumpy track being hard on gearboxes.

The Main Race on Sunday, however, was good, with a good first lap from Stef, gaining some positions. It’s after another good pit stop that Steph rejoined the track in P6, making a nice pass on the BMW N77 for P5. Then he couldn’t get better than this, they already used the last set of new tires during the qualifying whereas the cars in front were enjoying one more.

Overall it’s a good result after a disappointing 1st Race, especially coming from the last position. In the Standings, the Monegasque are now in the 3rd position.

Next race will be at the famous Nurburgring in two weeks for the last of the Endurance.

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